


observations of a champion; a mentor; a brother

by circhester



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Sibling Bonding, Some Fluff, Some Plot, Some angst, briefly returning to my pokemon-writing roots!, sorry link :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23666389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/circhester/pseuds/circhester
Summary: Leon steps into the cobbled streets of Wedgehurst, breathes in, and feels that old feeling ofhomerushing into his heart.His home, histruehome, lies ahead in Postwick. That, he knows. But Wedgehurst is familiar to him in the way that grass is to a field—dependable in its presence, tenacious in its return should it ever leave.A beginning; as told from the one who witnessed it all.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Hop, Hop & Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	observations of a champion; a mentor; a brother

**Author's Note:**

> so... i've not written a pokémon fic in a hot while, huh? time to change that >:D  
> (i'm likely heading back to more loz fics after this, but this was fun!! it was a nice challenge, too—i don't tend to a) focus on side characters over the main ones at all, really; or b) _write in the present tense_. writing in present tense after always writing in past tense is weird, but i like it!)
> 
> enough rambling from me, though. hope you enjoy this little fic of mine!

Leon steps into the cobbled streets of Wedgehurst, breathes in, and feels that old feeling of _home_ rushing into his heart. 

His home, his _true_ home, lies ahead in Postwick. That, he knows. But Wedgehurst is familiar to him in the way that grass is to a field—dependable in its presence, tenacious in its return should it ever leave.

There are people around him. Cheering, gushing, _welcoming_. 

Leon smiles. Not because of his fans, though they definitely warm his heart; not because of the prospect of rest after such a draining journey; but because _this_ is how it is supposed to be. 

A quaint and cheery town; the blissful feeling of warmth on his back once again, after so long spent in the north’s chill; the knowledge that his mum and Hop are just a short walk along Route 1 instead of hours away on train rides from Wyndon.

Oh, how he can hardly _wait_ to see his little brother again—

But for now, there is a crowd, and there are his duties as Champion to fulfill. So he grins, strikes that pose of his, and feels something unmistakably _warm_ rush through his heart as cheers follow the silent declaration—the declaration that _I’m here, and I’m home_.

At this point, the welcoming speech is more than familiar. He says it to every town in the region as he visits—of _course_ it’s familiar. He talks about his promise to keep on delivering battles for the people to watch, about his hopes that one day one of the people in front of him may find the power to rise up and challenge him, about how _happy_ he is to be here. 

All of the points come from his heart; but there is something about the last one that comes from somewhere deeper.

“But that Charizard of yours is too strong for the likes of _us_ to take on…” one of the townspeople says, and Leon feels his grin softening into a smile. 

He wishes that he could hide the sadness that came with it—because _yes_ , his Charizard is strong, but he _wants_ people to have confidence. He _wants_ people to challenge him with the belief that no hurdle is too high to jump; he _wants_ to have to give everything he has in those battles, and to have that genuine uncertainty behind his own victory increase with every new move made.

Because, for him, _that_ is what a pokémon battle should be. Victory is only worth so much; and after so long running with it, Leon can’t deny that victory starts to feel less like a trophy and more like a shackle.

And so, he says—

“ _Any_ pokémon can be strong. Not only my charizard—and that’s why I want the strongest of challengers to enter the Gym Challenge and come battle me!”

He grins, and continues—

“My wish is for Galar’s trainers to become the strongest in the world!”

Charizard’s roar echoes his declaration, and cheers follow, along with—

—“Lee!”

Leon’s heart skips a beat as the crowd parts, and _Hop_ is standing _right there_ , a huge grin on his face. Something inside of him bursts with elation at the sight of his brother after _so long_.

But, as much as he wants to hug his little brother tight and proclaim his joy to the world, he refrains—because there is still a crowd, and there is still the obligatory teasing to carry out.

“So, my number-one fan in the world has come out of his way to pick me up?” he asks. Hop’s face flushes with embarrassment. “God, look at you, Hop! I reckon you’ve grown… about four centimetres since we last saw each other!”

Hop grins. “Bingo!”

“And over here…” Leon says, swirling away from Hop to look at his friend. “Gloria—am I right?”

Gloria blinks, before echoing the statement with a nod and not words—but Leon doesn’t mind, because in all his memory, she has _always_ been a bit like that: letting others do most of the talking for her and contributing only when she has something to say.

Leon grins, and feels the weight of three pokéballs weighing down his pocket. “Nice to see you again—”

—And, apparently, Hop is too restless to let him properly finish, because he is pulling him by the arm down Route 1.

“Come on, Lee, Gloria!” he shouts. “Race you back home!”

Gloria grins, and is apparently riled up by that comment—because something in her air _changes_ , and she runs with everything she has to catch up to the head start Hop gained.

Leon watches the two run off with a smile, shaking his head, and is forced to remember that despite how much they’ve grown, they’re still just _kids_ at heart, aren’t they?

* * *

Leon throws three pokéballs into the air, and smiles as both Hop and Gloria watch on in that child-like _wonder_ that Leon wishes he could get back.

“So,” he says, as the three pokémon gather on the tiny battling area in the garden, “which one will you choose?”

Hop and Gloria look at each other for a moment, something hesitant in their eyes, before Hop steps back and slaps an easy grin on his face. 

“You go first!” he says, absentmindedly slinging his arms up and placing his hands on the back of his head. “I’ve got my first pokémon already.”

With that, Gloria approaches the three pokémon and crouches in front of them. Her face is knitted with the weight of a life-changing decision—and Leon _almost_ laughs at the sight of it. Almost. He knows how important this decision is for them, knows it from memories of his _own_ decision, and reminds himself of that fact so he doesn’t laugh aloud.

Eventually, she smiles, and says—

“I choose Sobble.”

—And there’s a certainty so strong in her voice that Leon doesn’t even consider questioning her decision. There’s only one thing for him to do now: and that is to throw her Sobble’s pokéball and watch on proudly as she gives Sobble a miniscule high-five, a grin growing on her face.

“Alright, then!” Hop says, striding forward. “I choose you, Scorbunny!”

Scorbunny makes a sound of excitement at the declaration, immediately jumping into Hop’s arms—and Leon is struck by how well-suited Hop and Scorbunny are for one another. They match each other’s energy _perfectly_ , Leon realises—and Gloria and Sobble, too, are extremely well-suited to each other with that up-front reservedness that gives way to burning passion when enough digging is done into the true personality.

He’s sure that he will philosophise more on this later, but—

—There’s still one more pokémon to be chosen, isn’t there?

“Well then,” he says, holding the final pokéball in his hand and extending a warm smile, “looks like you’re with me, Grookey.”

He holds the pokéball outwards, and Grookey excitedly goes in. 

* * *

Leon is watching Hop and Gloria’s first- _ever_ pokémon battle, and he is barely managing to hold back shock—

—Because this battle is _something else_.

It’s between Gloria’s Sobble and Hop’s Scorbunny—Hop had decided not to use Wooloo, seeing as Gloria only had one pokémon—and...

Attacks are being shot left and right, from tackles to pounds to growls, flying over the old and beaten battlefield; both trainers seem so _at home_ at either end, commanding their new pokémon; and the strategies, oh, the _strategies_ these kids are using to try and gain the upper hand. It’s _amazing_.

But what shocks Leon even more is the _bond_ that these two already seem to have with their pokémon, despite them only being partners for no more than fifteen minutes. Hell, he’s seen full trainers— _fought_ full trainers—that still don’t quite understand that you have to understand your pokémon to fight with them, and yet these kids are doing that perfectly—

What the—

—Is that _ember_?

...Surely Scorbunny can’t learn ember that quickly. Surely. With his Charmander, it had been a good few _days_ before learning the first fire-type move—

—Gloria’s Sobble knows water gun, too?!

The fight goes on, and on, and Leon can’t resist his mouth trailing up into a grin. Because this is _amazing_ , as much as it is also messy and inexperienced. Of course it is—this _is_ their first battle. It’s supposed to be messy.

But these kids are _going_ places—and Leon has never felt more sure of anything in his life.

* * *

"Hey, mum, Lee," Hop says, poking his head through the door. "I'm going with Gloria to tell her mum we're off to Wedgehurst!"

* * *

“Hey,” Mum says, looking somewhat anxiously out the window. “Hop is taking an awful long time to get back, isn’t he..?”

And Leon’s heart _soars_ into his throat, because it’s been more than twenty minutes to simply go with his friend to speak to her mum who lives just up the street—and while, yes, sure Hop could be staying to chat, he definitely would have said something before going—

—“I’m gonna go find him,” Leon says without another thought, before grabbing his cape from the coat stand next to the door, throwing a pair of shoes on, and walking out.

He doesn’t wait to hear his mum’s reply.

All that matters is finding Hop to ensure that he is _safe_ —and if he isn’t, then doing _everything_ in his power to have him be safe again.

* * *

“They came by…?” Gloria’s mum says, her eyebrows knitted in confusion much-too-similarly to how Gloria’s own were as she decided which pokémon she wanted to have as a partner; and something about that realisation makes Leon’s heart _twist_. Gloria’s mum shakes her head. “I haven’t seen them at all.”

Leon _tries_ to hold back a curse—he really does. But in that moment, the panic of _where’s Hop where’s Gloria what if something’s happened_ overrides any sense of politeness, and sharply, he hisses, “Shit.”

Without another word he goes to leave, too focused on the panic swirling in his chest to make time for a proper goodbye—

“Leon?” Gloria’s mum speaks up, and when he turns there is something tight with worry but firm in belief on her face. “Bring them home safe.”

Leon swallows thickly, and echoes that declaration in his mind. “I will.”

* * *

The gate to the Slumbering Weald is broken. That is Leon’s first realisation.

He spots footprints heading up the path, much fresher than they should be—because _nobody_ should be going up there. These footprints are familiar, and Leon can’t help but compare them to those shoes that Hop has always insisted on getting a replacement for whenever he outgrows them—

The second realisation comes quickly, but with much more force behind it: Hop and Gloria are _in the Slumbering Weald_. 

And Leon remembers. He remembers stories, growing up as a kid, warning of dangerous pokémon that lurk in the shadows and shifting mists that twist around you and spirits that whisper little nothings into your ear, forcing you to lose the path and trapping you there for eternity. He remembers daring to venture near, in a burst of rebellion when he was younger, and feeling the chill of _terror_ in his veins so cold that he had no choice but to turn back. 

He remembers being the one to find Sonia as she stumbled out of the weald, and he remembers how _terrified_ she was—he remembers her shaken words, and the fear that paralysed her, and the tear-driven promise she _forced_ him to make: that he will never, under any circumstances, venture into the Slumbering Weald.

Leon has spent years following that promise, even though later, she managed to work past that experience and look upon it fondly. After all, there has never been a _reason_ for him to venture into the Slumbering Weald that was more compelling than Sonia’s original words against it.

...But back then, he did not have a little brother in there. 

Hop is more important than any promise he could ever make—and with that thought in mind, Leon gathers every shred of courage he has built up from years of being the face of a region, and goes forward.

(The Slumbering Weald is a place notorious for getting lost, and he is a person notorious for getting lost—but for Hop, he will do anything.)

* * *

Mist envelops him the second he steps into the weald, and amongst it all, Leon struggles to see even a few metres ahead.

But Hop is here. Leon knows that for certain, because he can see footprints in the mud: two sets of them still, far apart enough that he can discern they were _running_. 

Running.

 _To_ something? Or _from_ something?

Leon considers the possibilities associated with each, and comes to the conclusion that he does not want to know.

But still, he walks forward, and finds that among the determination to find his brother and his friend that there is no fear swirling in his gut. His heart is steady, and there are no words whispering in his ear—

—But there are howls echoing through the trees, sounding like no pokémon he’s ever heard before, and his heart stops with the knowledge that there is still the unknown somewhere among the sea of trees and sheets of mist. 

The unknown, of course, must not be underestimated. Leon swallows thickly, wishes that he had left poor Grookey at home (as much as he is still in his pokéball, and therefore unable to see any of this), and calls out Charizard for backup.

Charizard’s presence immediately calms some of the trembling anxiety in his chest, and with his partner at his side, Leon moves forward.

* * *

“A… Wooloo…?” Leon whispers, careful not to disturb the lingering spirits of the weald.

Sure enough, there is a Wooloo ahead of him, and Leon knows that it does not belong in this weald. Aside from the fact that he had seen _no Wooloo_ here thus far, there is a band on its leg proclaiming it to belong to one of the farms in Postwick.

...Is this why Hop and Gloria are here?

Leon swallows thickly, feels Charizard’s steady presence at his side, and prays that’s the case—so that, when he finds them, they can get _out_ of here.

* * *

Wooloo freezes in the path for a second, before jumping on the spot and beginning to roll along the path—

“Wooloo, wait!” Leon calls, almost tripping over his own feet in the race to catch up to it. Wooloo ignores him and keeps rolling along the path.

The white of its coat blends into the thick mist, and Leon has to squint to get a proper look at its location. Charizard’s flame helps a little—but now, the mist is so _thick_ that visibility is reduced to near nothing—and ultimately, he is left near blind among everything. Only the sound of Wooloo’s rolling, really, is helping him follow it.

He runs and runs through trees, over thick roots poking out the dirt that almost make him trip and fall flat on his face, across damp mud that stuck to his shoes and through patches of leaves. All the while, the Wooloo does not stop. 

At some point, the Wooloo becomes visible again. Leon thinks for a moment that maybe, he’s caught up, before realising that’s not the case—the mist is abating. The ability to _see_ is something so welcomed that Leon can’t help but sigh in relief.

Wooloo slows down as they reach a clearing, and the mist is almost fully cleared, revealing—

— _Hop and Gloria_.

His heart skips a beat. They’re lying on the ground, both of them, and Leon can’t tell whether they’re okay; can’t reassure himself that Hop is _fine, just fine_ , that he can go back to Gloria’s mum and deliver her daughter home safely, that he has _any idea_ what happened here—

“Hop!” he finds himself shouting before the thought to even do so crosses his mind. “Gloria!”

A groan sounds from one of them, and Leon sees Gloria rise to her feet—Hop following her a moment later, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Something within Leon _finally_ relaxes, and tension drained into the ground, its absence leaving him strangely drained.

“Wha— Lee…?” Hop says, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head as if to stave off fatigue, or pain, or _something_. He blinks, slowly, and confusion knits across his scrunched-up face. “How did you get here…? You’re horrible with directions.”

Leon blinks as the absurdity of the statement washes over him—and he can’t do anything except bark out a laugh, because Hop’s just woken up in the middle of a notoriously cursed forest, obviously having gone through _something_ , and his first thought is to question Leon’s sense of direction…?

“God, Hop, you had me _worried sick_ ,” Leon breathes out, not hesitating to wrap his brother in a hug this time—because here, there are no crowds, no fans to appease, no appearances to keep up. It is just him and his brother and his brother’s friend. He draws away, looks over Hop in an instinctual check for injuries; then looks over Gloria, too. “I’ve been looking _everywhere_ for you two… What happened?”

Gloria blinks a few times in succession, and is silent for a moment, before speaking up. “I… don’t really know,” she admits, quietly. “This fog started to roll in, and then this _pokémon_ appeared and started attacking us—”

Leon’s heart twists in alarm. “ _Attacking_ you?!”

Hop nods. “And when we tried to fight back, our attacks didn’t _work_ ,” he says, frustration entering into the edges of his voice. “It was like… our attacks passed right through it. And it had this _presence_ , too…”

“I felt like it was calling out to me,” Gloria says, and turns to Hop. “Did you feel that?”

Hop’s breath audibly hitches, and he nods. “Yeah. A little bit, yeah...”

Alarm again twists at his stomach, but this time the words catch in his throat and refuse to escape as anything more than a choked sound—one that goes unacknowledged by both Gloria and Hop. He wants to let the words escape; he _wants_ to bombard the two of them with question after question on that, ask about the _exact way_ in which it was calling out, ask how and why and—

But none of the words manage to untangle themselves from the mess of thoughts in his mind, so he says nothing.

All the while his thoughts keep swirling around each other, attacking the question of what all of this _means_ —the thick mist; the howling that’s now gone, he realises; the supposed _presence_ of that pokémon and its act of calling out to these two kids.

Rumours of a mysterious pokémon in the Slumbering Weald have circulated for generations, but its existence has never been confirmed. To think that the pokémon has a reason to appear _now_ , in front of these kids...

Realisation and _horror_ overtake Hop’s face, and Leon is forced to set his thoughts aside in favour of addressing whatever has Hop so suddenly worried.

“Wooloo!” he exclaims. “We came here for— _Wooloo_! Lee, have you seen anything—?”

Leon smiles softly, and steps aside to let the two kids get a view of Wooloo behind him. “The wee chap’s just fine,” he says, keeping as much anxiety out of his voice as possible.

Both Hop and Gloria breathe out sighs of relief. They look at each other, and something guilty takes over their faces.

“Hey, Leon, we’re, uh,” Gloria speaks up, darting her eyes down in shame. “We’re sorry.”

Hop nods in agreement, a similar look of guilt plastered on his face. “Sorry for worrying you so much…”

Leon shakes his head, and as much as a tiny part of him _wants_ to hear the rest of that apology as reparation for the nauseating anxiety he had just felt, he knows that such actions aren’t the answer. “You know you’re not supposed to be here,” he says, and both Gloria and Hop wince at the reminder. “But it took courage to come in here all the same, and I can understand why you did it.

“I’m proud of both of you,” he finishes, because _that_ , right now, is what they need to hear—not disappointment, not reminders of his own anxiety. Support. “Remember that. You did good.”

Gloria smiles, and Hop can’t resist a grin at the open praise. 

“Now, let’s get out of here.”

Leon lets the two kids walk ahead, opting to stay behind them so as to not lose sight of them _again_. Gloria and Hop talk in quiet whispers, about seemingly nothing at all, and in the quiet Leon’s mind again wanders. 

It’s… _strange_. That this mysterious pokémon appeared in front of Gloria and Hop, even though it has appeared for nobody else before—and something about it has the air of a prologue. A grand prologue, setting up the path for a much greater adventure; a much grander _destiny_.

Leon knows that these kids are going places, but…

The suggestion that they may also be involved in something else, something much, _much_ bigger and _far_ out of their own control, has his heart plummeting to the ground—and the cold dread that follows never quite leaves him. Even as they return to the warm safety of _home_ , that dread still remains, because _what is going to happen with these kids…?_

* * *

Leon waits outside, this time, as Gloria heads into her home to tell her mum that they’re on their way to Wedgehurst. If he’s honest, he half doesn’t expect her to be allowed to go with them after the debacle that just occurred—

—But there she is, grinning as she adjusts the massive backpack on her back, and nearly skipping down the steps.

“Where are we going?” she asks, automatically falling into line beside Hop. 

Leon grins. “We’re going to visit an old friend.”

Sonia, first, of course; so that the two of them can get themselves sorted for their journey. After that he’ll take the two of them down to Route 2, maybe show them how to catch a few pokémon, and leave them to it while he goes down to Magnolia’s home—

* * *

—And, with any luck, get himself some _answers_.

“You’re saying that they _saw_ that mysterious pokémon…?” Magnolia says, the faintest glimmer of curiosity and an undertone of _concern_ in her voice. “I’ll admit that I _myself_ thought it to be nothing more than a myth, but if those two have seen it…”

It seems, however, that luck is not on his side.

Leon slumps into one of the chairs in her kitchen. “It’s possible that the whole thing _was_ just something they imagined, but…” He trails off, and remembers the certainty in their words, the lack of any indication that they were speaking anything other than the truth. “I really don’t think so.”

Magnolia frowns. Without a word, she pulls out the other chair at the table and sits in it, across from him, staring him in the eye.

“Something’s changing,” she says simply. Nothing more is said—because both of them already _know_ this. They both know of the fluctuating dynamax energies, of Rose’s increased dedication to his work; of Rose’s increased _desire_ for research, and his unwillingness to let anything of his ideas or motivations slip.

Leon knew that Rose was planning nothing _bad_ . That was for sure. But the fact that Rose was still withholding information, combined with whatever weirdness was going on with dynamax energy, and now _this_ …

“I’m _worried_ , professor,” he admits, letting his gaze drift aside and sighing. “Something’s going to happen. I don’t know what, but… I have this bad feeling that Hop, and his friend too, are going to be at the centre of it all.”

“And that concerns you?” Magnolia asks, not unkindly. “That it’s your _brother_ at the centre of everything?”

Leon sighs. “They’re both so _young_ ,” he replies, even though he knows that he himself is not much older than them. “They shouldn’t have to…”

Worry about fate or destiny. Have their Gym Challenge interrupted by something out of their own control. Be involved in _any_ of this.

“I know,” Magnolia says. “But if there truly are fates guiding them to a destiny, you— _we_ —must trust that they have been chosen for a reason.”

And as Leon opens his mouth to answer—

—There is a knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice shouting, “Hello?!

“Hop,” he identifies instantly, a smile worming its way onto his face—because, really, does this kid have _any_ manners…?

They go to open the door, and standing on the other side is Hop himself, a massive grin on his face as he extends a pokéball out. “I caught a Rookidee!” he says, and just like that any worry that Leon has about destiny and fate fades away—because, if Hop can stare in the face of it all and stay unfazed, then why should Leon let himself dwell on it?

So Leon grins right back, and sets it all out of mind. “Well? Let’s meet it!”

* * *

When Gloria comes along, he and Magnolia are going back-and-forth about dynamaxing while Hop, the poor soul, is clearly _trying_ to follow along; and failing badly.

It’s for that reason that his face immediately lights up when Gloria appears, and he immediately ditches the idea of trying to follow the conversation in favour of latching onto her side immediately. 

Magnolia catches a glimpse of the new arrival, and peels herself from their conversation seamlessly, advancing towards the two kids. “Welcome, young trainers!” she greets, absentmindedly twisting the chain on her glasses around her finger—much like Sonia does with her hair, Leon now realises. “Let’s head inside, shall we?”

With that, Magnolia leads the way inside, and they all take a seat at her kitchen table. Magnolia speaks on, speaking about some responsibilities that come with being a pokémon trainer or whatever. Leon tunes it all out. He’s heard it enough times— _said_ it enough times—to be able to recite it in his sleep.

He snaps back into reality as Hop’s voice interrupts the professor’s. 

“—Help us convince Lee that he should endorse us for the Gym Challenge!” Hop says, a grin bright on his face, and now he’s standing and leaning over the table. There’s something inside of Leon that immediately goes to tell him _sit down, don’t be rude,_ but with some effort he squashes it down, because Hop definitely wouldn’t listen even if he _did_ say it.

Magnolia turns to him, curious. “Now, why haven’t you endorsed these two for the Gym Challenge?”

Leon winces. “Hop and Gloria have only just begun as pokémon trainers…” he says, and struggles not to mention the worry inside of him at the thought of them going on this massive journey through the region, practically alone, where the possibility of something _else_ happening is more than real— “There’s so much they don’t _know_ yet.”

Magnolia rolls her eyes. It’s a simple gesture, but one that clearly tells Leon she thinks he is being an idiot, and, well, Leon supposes she has a point. “And how else are they going to _learn_ other than by _doing_?” she asks.

The moment she does, Hop’s grin widens—Gloria’s does, too—and Leon knows that there is no logical argument out of it.

“You’re not wrong…” Leon is forced to concede, and with another moment’s thought, he arrives at a decision, and he smiles. “Right, then. How about this—let’s see if the two of you can deliver me a brilliant battle where I’m left with no choice but to endorse you for the challenge.”

Gloria’s smile brightens into a battle-ready grin, and she looks to Hop, a fire in her eyes. Hop is practically jumping on the balls of his feet with excitement. 

Leon can’t help but feel excited himself, because he _knows_ that this battle is going to be a spectacle; and one that he won’t dare miss for the world.

* * *

If the last one was great, then this is _brilliant_ —because, now, the rough edges that shone in their first battle have been tempered; refined. There’s forethought in their substitutions, when Hop realises the type disadvantage Scorbunny has to Sobble and sends out Rookidee instead; there’s critical thinking in the moves they call, when Gloria opts to call a _pound_ instead of a _water gun_ to take advantage of its close proximity to Hop’s Rookidee, even though the water typing of a Sobble definitely would make water gun the stronger attack; there’s _creativity_ shining through each combination the two of them make, in the way they—though not seamlessly—transition between attacks and respond to sudden moves from the opposing side—

—and Leon is trying, _trying_ not to show just how excited all of this makes him, but there’s still a massive grin on his face and a trembling in his body that betrays it all. From the knowing, amused look that Magnolia sends him, he is having no success in hiding it.

The embarrassment he feels does not soften his grin, and neither does it temper his excitement.

There’s something brimming within the two of them now, much more prominent now than it ever was years ago—and it feels so strongly like _potential_.

Leon grins impossibly wider, and a fire within him _burns_ with excitement, because who knows where these kids will end up?

“You’ve made your decision, haven’t you?” Magnolia questions from behind him. There is something in her voice, however, that tells him that she already knows his answer.

Still, Leon nods. Certainty affirms its presence in his gut. “I think I made it before this battle even started.”

Magnolia laughs—and it is one tethered by age, shadowed by foresight. “I’m sure you did.”

* * *

When the sky drifts into hues of purple and red and orange, and the recommendation letters have been written and handed out, Leon is on the courtyard giving his final words.

“You may both be young, and plenty rough around the edges, but that was a _proper_ battle,” he says, and can’t hold back the pride burning deep in his soul as he says it. “I could feel the excitement a _mile_ off—!”

Something _white_ and _red_ and _blinding_ tears across the darkening sky, and Leon’s heart shoots into his throat. 

“What’s that—?!” Hop exclaims—

—And the shooting light lands _right_ next to Magnolia’s training field. The impact sends dirt and dust flying into the air, so much that Leon has to cover his eyes for a second; and when it all clears, there are craters in the ground with—

—Two stars.

Two _wishing_ _stars_.

Leon’s first thought is to say _don’t go near them_ , but before he has the chance Hop and Gloria are already there, each holding one in their hands. The stars glow faintly, gently, as if they haven’t just made a hole in Magnolia’s back garden; as if they haven’t fallen from the sky at speeds impossible by even the fastest Corviknight. 

Leon huffs about a laugh as he walks over, strangely resigned, because these kids are _ridiculous_. “Trust you two to pull something like this...”

Hop grins. “With this, we can dynamax our pokémon, right?!” he asks.

“Not in that state, you won’t,” Magnolia interjects, steadily approaching the two of them and holding a hand out. Hop and Gloria exchange looks before placing the stars in her hand. “To dynamax your pokémon, these wishing stars will have to be made into dynamax bands… Nothing I can’t get done myself for you two overnight.”

“Really?!” Gloria exclaims. “Thank you!”

Magnolia says nothing in reply, but does acknowledge Gloria’s words with a swift nod.

Hop grins. “With that weird pokémon from earlier, and now _this_ …” he says. “It really feels like we’re getting caught up in the adventure of a _lifetime_!”

And Leon’s heart stops—because that’s exactly how it feels, doesn’t it?

And, well…

Maybe there _is_ something terrible in store. Maybe destiny does have a role to play in all of this—maybe their journey isn’t just the regular Gym Challenge that Leon had intended for them. He can’t say that he’s happy with that idea, or even _content_ with it, but—

—Whatever happens, Leon _will_ be supporting them all the way through. It’s his duty: as a Champion; as a mentor; as a _brother_. As someone who _cares_ about these kids. Maybe he can’t change the course of destiny, but—

—He can _definitely_ leave his mark on it. 

He _will_ leave his own mark on destiny; and every single ounce of effort will go towards supporting these kids in every step. 

No matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://fushigidane.tumblr.com)!!


End file.
